The Sacrifice
by SRCL
Summary: "How could you let it happen, Tommy? How could you allow your son to be killed? He was your son. It was your fucking job to protect him. And you failed. You failed. You fucking killed your own son!"
1. Chapter 1

Sitting in the car she tapped her foot nervously as Shannon pulled up to the dockyard. When Shannon had insisted on driving here to look for Matt, Sarah had known she had no other choice than to come with the American. There was no way that she would allow Shannon into this fight of hell without any back-up. To say that Shannon didn't truly understand how brutal some of these men could be, was an understatement.

Taking a hold of the bat she closed her eyes preparing herself mentally for what she was about to see. Opening her eyes she was met with a sight that sent chills down her spine. Chaos. It was the only word that could be used to describe it. Letting her eyes travel over the crowd she looked for him. When she couldn't find him, she felt herself panic. Then at the side of the fight she found him leaning against an old wall with Matt and Bovver beside him. He didn't look too good.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw Shannon exiting the car. That stupid woman, she screamed in her head before opening the door on her side of the car and sliding out, taking a firm hold of the bat while doing so. God knows that she'd need it. Especially since she saw Tommy Hatcher's right-hand-man storming towards them. "Shannon, get in the car right now! Right now!" she shouted at the woman, who for once did what she was told as the man started banging on the car window.

"Hey, asshole, your mother obviously didn't teach her how to treat the ladies, huh?" she said before swinging her bat against him, hitting him in the lower back. Turning around he growled at her as he stalked towards her. "Want more?" she teased him before swinging her bat once again, hitting him on the lower right hip this time making him falter in his step.

Suddenly Matt appeared and then Bovver. Allowing the boys to handle the fight, Sarah backed away slightly. Then she saw him. Tommy Hatcher stalking towards the car with nothing but murder in his eyes. This was bad. Really fucking bad.

Looking around, allowing her mind to access the situation, she felt panic spread through her body. There was no way that Matt and Bovver, no matter how skilled of a street fighter Bovver was, could take on both Hatcher and his gorilla, otherwise known as his right-hand-man. No one else was in close enough proximity to be able to stop Hatcher from reaching the car. From reaching Shannon and Ben. Last night he had shown clearly how far he was willing to go. What kind of sick things he would do to the people he deemed responsible for the death of his son all those years ago.

Taking a deep breath, she makes her decision.

Sarah starts jumping up and down, frantically waving her hands back and forth to catch the attention of the Millwall leader. "Oi, Hatcher, you stupid little count, you've been looking for me? I'm right fucking over here so come and get me you stupid fucking asshole!" Sarah shouted at the top of her lung.

Out of the corner of her eye she could see Pete leaning against a brick wall. Too far away to actually see his reaction, she could imagine his blue eyes widening as he realized what she was doing. "Sarah! No!" his voice echoed over the dock yard.

Choosing to focus on Hatcher rather than the voice that made the tears well up in her eyes, she looked as Hatcher turned around looking straight at her. "I'll deal with you later sweetheart, we'll have some real fun, you and I" he said before turning his attention back towards the black SUV containing Shannon and Ben.

In a split second, Sarah made a decision that she knew could possibly bring her life to an end. Allowing herself a few moments to look over at Pete who was stumbling towards, gripping his midsection, barely able to walk without falling to the ground due to the heavy beating he'd taken. "I'm sorry" she whispered quietly, so quietly that no one was able to hear it.

"He was your son, Tommy! Your son! You were supposed to protect him. Like fathers do!" she yelled knowing what the consequences of uttering those words would be.

Instead of focusing her gaze on the man running towards her in full speed, she looked at the man stumbling forward, trying to run, to get to her. He was shouting, his mouth was moving, but she couldn't actually hear what he was saying. Feeling her body turning numb, preparing itself for what was about to happen.

Then it came, the collation. Falling to the ground, she felt a heavy body keeping her in place as Hatcher started swinging his fists around. "Don't you talk about my son, you fucking little count!" he shouted in her face.

After what felt like an hour, but was probably just a few seconds, Hatcher heaved himself off her and started kicking at her. Kicking her in the stomach; in the ribs; stomping on her head and face. Nothing was out of limits for him. Nothing.

Slowly Sarah started fading into darkness, as the unconsciousness overtook her. The last thing she saw was the face of Bovver as he tried to pry Hatcher away from her. A small smile spread across her lips. She knew he'd come today. Knew that he'd show up for his brothers.

* * *

When he realized that it was Shannon's black SUV that rounded the corner, driving into the dockyard he became frightened. Who knew what a beast like Hatcher would do to her.

As he saw Sarah exiting the car with nothing more than a simple bat in her hand to protect herself, he became terrified. Last time Hatcher had seen her, he'd sworn that he would come after her if Steve survived the attack he launched against the Abbey. And Steve had survived.

Seeing her hitting Hatcher's right-hand-man with the bat, actually made a faint smile spread across his lips for a second or two. At least she was able to protect herself.

Watching Matt running over to the car and then being tossed around like a little toy by his much larger opponent, Pete turned towards Bovver who was at his side. "If you wanna make things right, protect my brother's family" he breathed out.

Bovver didn't hesitate, simply nodded, and ran towards the black SUV and the fight. Keeping his eyes trained on Sarah, trying to find the strength within to run over to her and protect her from all of these fucking bastards.

Suddenly she started jumping up and down, waving her arms like a maniac, and before Pete realized what she was doing she had opened her mouth and shouted. It wasn't the fact that she did it that made his entire body freeze in panic, it was the words that left his mouth.

His blue eyes widened at her words, as he watched Tommy Hatcher turn around looking at her with murder in his eyes. "Sarah! No!" he shouted, the panic clear in his voice.

"I'll deal with you later sweetheart, we'll have some real fun, you and I" Hatcher said before turning his attention back towards the black SUV containing Shannon and Ben.

Pete felt himself breathe out in relief, at least Matt and Bovver was there to protect Shannon and Ben. Sarah had no one. Stumbling forward he directed his gaze towards Sarah. Holding his hand on his stomach, knowing that he'd breaker at least a few ribs, he tried running, but fell to the ground.

"He was your son, Tommy! Your son! You were supposed to protect him. Like fathers do!"

As the words left her mouth, and registered in his mind, Pete pushed himself of the ground and started running towards them. Every fiber in his body, every tiny, little cell, hurt like hell, but he chose to push through it. "He's gonna kill her, Bovver! Help her!" he shouted looking wildly around. "Dave! Ike! Someone help her!" he begged them as he ran, cussing himself mentally for not being able to run faster. For not being able to protect her.

Watching Hatcher heave himself off her limp body, he cursed loudly as he saw the man stomp his military booth on her head. Letting out a sigh of relief as Bovver, Dave and Ike reached the two of them, pulling Hatcher away from her, he pushed himself a little harder.

As he reached her he fell down on his knees beside her unconscious body. "Sarah, wake up! Wake the fuck up!" he yelled in frustration. "Baby girl, come on now, I'm not letting go of you. Come back to me" he begged" as he gathered her limp body in her arms pulling her close to him.

Pete didn't realize it at the time as his focus was solely on the woman he was holding in his arms, but the fighting had stopped entirely with everyone standing around the couple on the ground watching with sadness filling their eyes as they finally realized what the fighting, the adrenaline kick they claimed to live for, could have severe consequences.

"Bloody hell, Pete, come on brov, we've gotta get her to the hospital" Bovver said pulling Pete off the ground and in the process pulling Sarah up with him. Bovver swiftly gathered Sarah in his arms while Dave and Ike supported Pete towards the black SUV.

All of them running, Matt opened the backseat doors as Shannon took Ben in her arms. Bovver allowed them to heave Pete into the back eat before he gave his friend the body of his girlfriend then he ran around the car, jumping into the driver's seat. The others piled into various parts of the car and held on as Bovver took off.

For once Shannon was thankful for the reckless driving of the young man as she sat in the driver's seat of the car looking at the bloodied, beaten woman lying in the backseat. Closing her eyes she found herself praying to God, something she had not done in years.

Bovver pushed the gas pedal to the floor as he swerved left and right to avoid crashing into another car. As he speed down the streets of London, he tried to focus his attention on the driving, but everything that had happened over the last few days was fucking up his mind.

This, the Major nearly dying and Sarah, one of the few females that he'd ever cared about, a girl who he had come to look at as his baby sister, possibly dying. It was his fault.

No, she couldn't die, she wouldn't die, he wouldn't allow it.

No bloody way.


	2. Chapter 2

_Ten Week Earlier:_

Standing behind the bar at the Abbey, clad in her usual outfit consisting of a pair of dark skinny jeans, a neutral t-shirt and a pair of sneakers.

Former bars she'd worked at had demanded that she made herself look pretty, and she had done so, to some extent because it was required of her, but most of the time you received higher tips if you actually bothered to make an effort.

When Terry had offered her a job at the bar almost two years ago, one of the first things he told her was that things could get quite rowdy here. Sarah didn't mind too much, after working at a McDonalds in one of the roughest neighborhoods in her hometown she was used to rowdy people.

Her first night working at the bar had been a game night. The pub had been crowded like hell, and everyone was demanding swift service. Fortunately, she was able to live up to the expectations that Terry had on her, that the crowd apparently had on her.

When they started throwing around beer, splashing it all over the place, she quickly realized that it was of no use to dress up or wear too much make-up. Ever since she had kept to what her friends called her uniform; dark jeans, a t-shirt in a neutral color, and a pair of comfortable shoes.

Pulled out of her thoughts by slapping on the bar, she blinked a few times and focused on the person wanting service. A smile spread across her lips as she saw who it was. "Bovver!" she said, delighted by the sight of her friend. Walking over she leaned over the bar to give him a hug. "How are you?" she asked him as she grabbed a beer glass, filling it with bear.

"Fucking knackered, long day at work" the man answered as he leaned over the bar grabbing some peanuts from behind it.

"I know what you mean" Sarah told him as she handed him a the glass of beer.

"Any prats bother you?" Bovver asked seriously.

Sarah shook her head with a faint smile on her lips as she remembered one of her first nights at the pub. There had been a man, middle-aged, who had found it appropriate to smack her ass and ask what she charged for an hour. Sarah on the other hand had found it appropriate to punch him in the face, then kick him in-between the legs.

Bovver and his group of friends had been around to witness it, and ever since the group had taken her under their wings, protecting her from male guests who crossed the line.

When Terry had found out he'd given her an approving look telling her that would fit right in with the crowd of guests hanging around the bar. "Nah" she answered him with a smile.

Bovver fixed her with his gaze. "You would tell me, wouldn't you?" he asked her seriously, looking her dead in the eye.

"Of course, Bov" she said placing a kiss on his cheek in appreciation. "Where are the rest of the boys?" she asked him.

Bovver gestured down towards the corner table where most of the other boys sat. She couldn't find Pete in the crowd though. "He's on his way here" Bovver stated with a smirk upon his thin lips.

Sarah shot him a look that told him to cut it out. "And who are you talking about?" she asked, faking innocence.

This time it was Bovver who gave her the look.

Suddenly the door to the bar opened. "Hello boys!" a loud voice could be heard through the pub making everybody turn around as some raised their hands in greeting while others greeted the man vocally. "And lady" Pete Dunham added as he walked over to the bar.

"Thanks for still considering me a lady after two years of knowing me, Pete" Sarah said with a smile as she grabbed another glass.

"Your welcome, love" he said with a huge grin.

"I'll be with the boys" Bovver said slapping Pete on the back before walking over to the corner table.

"So when is this lovely bird behind the bar, going to let me take her out on a date?" Pete asked with a flirtatious wink.

Sarah rolled her eyes at the question, Pete had started asking her out when she started working here two years ago and had continued to do so ever since. It was just the two of them joking around, it was just the way they acted with each other. Had done so since the first time they met.

"How about never" she suggested with a smirk. "

I know you've been dying to shag me, don't you deny it" Pete joked before leaning back and taking a gulp of his beer.

"Oh no, busted" Sarah joked right back. "Well, I gotta' go back to working and you've gotta' head over to the boys. They're gonna get jealous soon" she said before heading towards the back room to grab a broom to sweep the floor with.

"I'll be back, Lorenz!" he shouted.

"You better, Dunham" she shouted back before disappearing around the corner.

Pete smiled to himself as he grabbed his beer heading over towards his group of boys. She was one hell of a bird.

* * *

Later that night the pub was filled with tunes of old-school RnB from the nineties with Sarah swaying her hips back and fort as she swept the floors with the broom.

It was her turn to close down the pub tonight as Terry was supposed to wake up early tomorrow to bring his kids to school. Sarah didn't mind.

Suddenly there was a sound. Like someone was trying to open the door. Swirling around she saw someone tugging at the door handle.

Gulping she walked as quietly and swiftly as she could over to the radio turning down the music. If whoever was trying to get in walked in to find music on they'd definitely know that someone was there. The music hadn't been loud enough for anyone outside to hear it so it couldn't have been the music that drew the burg lurers there.

Then Sarah bent down behind the bar, hiding out of sight. Crawling on the floor she grabbed the bat that Terry thankfully kept behind the bar in case a guest got too rowdy, or as if in this case, someone tried to break in.

Pulling out her phone from the back pocket she scanned her mind for someone to call. Sure, she could call the police, but who knew how long it'd take for them to there. He lived closest to the pub. And he'd come. She had no doubt about that.

Finding his number among her contacts she called him. Why the hell wasn't he picking up? Realizing that she should probably try to get to the restrooms, where she could lock the door, she pushed herself off the floor and ran towards the back where the restroom were located.

Keeping her phone to her ear the entire time in case of him answering. "Hello?" his voice was raspy. He had obviously been sleeping.

"There's someone trying to break into the bar" she told him speaking quietly.

"What did you say, Sarah? Some little punk is trying to break in?" he asked.

"Yes, that's what I said, no?" she asked, the tone of her voice frustrated.

Then the sound of glass shattering reached her ears. Looking over her shoulder she realized they'd broken the window, probably because they hadn't been able to get through to the door. By now she could hear their voices; there was more than one. "Shit" she swore as she ran to the restroom, carefully closing the door behind her.

"Sarah, what the bloody hell is going on?" he asked from the other end of the line.

"There are two ore more men breaking into the pub. I'm alone, I don't know what the fuck to do" Sarah explained quickly as she headed towards a stall, closing the stall door behind her and locking it.

"I'm coming, just lock yourself in somewhere and wait for me. Don't be a fucking hero" he told her before hanging up.

Sarah tried to swallow but her throat was too dry to do so. Placing her phone in her back pocket she grabbed the walls of the stall as she climbed up on the toilet seat making it harder for them to discover her.

As she heard the door to the restroom open, she slapped a hand over her mouth to make sure that no sounds escaped from her mouth as the other hand gripped the bat in her hand. "Well, there's gotta' be someone around here. There's a bloody bag out there" the voice of a man echoed through the restroom.

Cussing herself for leaving the bag in plain sight, Sarah closed her eyes wishing that he wouldn't find her. Even though she knew the chances were slim. She could hear him kicking the doors to the stalls open. He was closing in on her. Fast.

As he reached the stall the next to her, she positioned herself to make sure that she was ready to swing the bat at the intruder.

The second the door to the stall was kicked open she swung her bat, aiming for his head. She actually got a good hit in making him fall to the floor.

Jumping off the toilet she started running towards the door. Just as she was about to open the door a hand snaked around her ankle pulling her backwards. The pull made her fall to the floor.

As she landed on the floor she hit her head on the stone floor. "Fuck" she groaned as she felt herself being pulled towards the man.

Regaining her focus she kicked out with her other foot, connecting her sneaker to his face making him fall backwards. "You fucking cunt!" he exclaimed angrily.

Pushing herself off the floor she headed towards the door. Pulling it open she ran straight into something, or rather someone. Sarah panicked and begun swinging her fists around wildly, hoping that somehow she would manage to knock the second intruder out.

"Sarah, it's me. It's me, Pete, calm the fuck down!" he finally shouted at her, grabbing a hold of her shoulders.

Lifting her gaze, her eyes connected with his blue ones. His eyes travelled across her face looking for injures. As he noticed the bruise starting to form on her cheek from hitting it on the floor, his eyes became stormy with anger. "He's in there?" he asked.

Sarah simply nodded allowing Pete to push past her into the restroom.

"Oi, you little fucking prat, you think it's fun to beat on women? Huh? You enjoying it, you fucking little arsehole!" Pete said before kicking him in the ribs. "Thought you could have some , did you? You fucking cunt!" Pete said as she delivered a punch to the man's face.

Taking a step back he grabbed the bat that Sarah had dropped to the floor when she'd run into him. Walking over to the man he started delivering blows to him with the bat. "You fucking, disgusting little pig" Pete cussed at him.

Sarah's blue eyes widened at the pure anger displayed in front of her by Pete. "Pete, stop it, that's enough" she told him. He didn't listen though.

Taking a step forward she took a hold of his arm, preventing him from swinging at the man one more time. "Please, stop it" she asked him.

Drawing a deep breath, he glanced back at the man lying on the ground, kicking him in the ribs one last time before turning towards Sarah and pulling her towards him. Encircling her body with his arms, he held her close to him, as she leaned into him crying silently.

* * *

Sitting on top of the bar with a blanket wrapped around her, Sarah tiredly leaned her head on Pete's shoulder, Pete's arm wrapped around her shoulders, holding her close to his side. Terry was talking to the police a little bit away from them, explaining what had happened and so on.

"Shit" Sarah swore silently.

Pete glanced down at her. "What?" he questioned.

"The tube doesn't run this late, neither does the bus, I'm gonna have to walk home" Sarah said, her voice tired. Not even angry, just tired.

"The hell you are, you're staying with me for the night" Pete told her determinedly.

She looked up at him with a serious look in her eyes. "Don't you expect to shag or any funny business like that, because that ain't gonna happen" she told him.

Pete burst out laughing earning himself a scowl from Sarah. "Don't you laugh at me, Peter Jonathan Dunham. I'm serious" she told him.

When he continued laughing at her she slapped him on the arm. "Ouch, what was that for?" Pete asked, having stopped full out laughing, now chuckling quietly.

"That's for laughing at me, asshole" she told him.

Holding up his hands in surrender he looked at her with a smirk upon his handsome face. "Okay, okay, I swear, no funny business" he promised before bursting into laughter once again.

"Fucking ass" Sarah muttered but couldn't help but smile. Maybe describing it was 'funny business' wasn't her most elegant choice of words.

"What did they say, Terry?" she asked as the older man headed towards them.

"You're both cleared to go. I gotta' stick around though. Deal with some insurance and all that. You should head home though, sweetheart, and take the day off tomorrow" Terry told her with a small smile.

"You sure? I don't mind coming into work" she replied.

Terry nodded in response. "You make sure she get home safe, mate?" he asked Pete.

The man beside him nodded. "Aye, mate, I'll bring her home" he promised as he jumped down from the bar.

Turning around he offered his assistance to Sarah, who shook her head and slid off the bar, her white sneakers planting themselves securely on the wooden floor.

"Let's get outta' here then" she told Pete, who nodded before wrapping his arm around her shoulders once again leading her towards the door.


	3. Chapter 3

_Ten Weeks Ago:_

Feeling bright sundays on her face, Sarah groaned to herself. Cussing herself for forgetting to close the blinds last night, she rolled over to lie on her stomach to avoid the light flowing through the window. As she turned over she felt herself rolling into something.

Slowly opening one eye, letting her eye sight get used to the bright morning light, she realized she had company. None other than Pete Dunham was lying beside her, sleeping heavily.

The events of the evening prior came back to her; the burglars, Pete beating them, the police, Terry, walking home with Pete, ending up sleeping with him.

Covering her face with her hands she groaned and fell back into the madras. Fuck, fuck, fuck, she repeated to herself in her head. She had slept with Pete Dunham. The Pete Dunham who was known for sleeping with random girls and never talking to them again.

During the two years that Sarah had known the blonde, he'd mostly had flings with different girls. No one had stuck around for too long. Well, Bridget had been the exception, but she was a nutcase. So it might have been better if she hadn't stuck around.

Suddenly a loud ringtone echoed through the room. Recognizing the sound, Sarah swore quietly as she swung her legs over the bed and sitting up, looking around the room for her phone. Finding the jeans she'd worn lying in a heap on the floor by the door, she stood up, wrapping the white sheet around her before walking over there and picking them up. Rummaging through the pockets she found her vibrating and loud-sounding phone in her back pocket.

Glancing at the display before answering a small smile spread across her lips. "Morning dear" she said as she tried to sneak out of the room without waking the sleeping man up. He looked so calm, so peaceful, and she didn't want to disturb him.

"Sarah, I need your help, like now. Henry's mum is a bloody nutter" Megan exclaimed, clearly upset with her future mother-in-law.

Sarah forced herself to hold in the chuckle that threatened to spill out of her mouth, knowing that it would only upset her friend further. "Why? What has she done this time?" Sarah asked.

Since the engagement between her friends had been officially announced, Eleanor Hart, had taken it upon herself to serve as the wedding planner. Something that annoyed Megan to no end, especially since their opinions didn't match most of the time.

"Well, we are going to the tailor's today to have a fitting, and she insists on coming. I even made Henry book her up so that she couldn't come with. She ended up canceling her appointments so that she could attend. And she has these horrible suggestions, and takes offense when I tell her that they really aren't my style. I mean nothing I say or do pleases her. I don't know what to fucking do to make her happy. I'm already knackered enough with work and planning the wedding and all that. Honestly, I just want to tell her to sod off" Megan said, raising her voice through out the explanation.

"Well, that probably wouldn't please her" Sarah said with a slight smile on her lips.

"Why are you whispering?" Megan questioned suspiciously, having been too caught up with her own business to notice it at first.

"I'm not whispering" Sarah retired. Even though she was on the other end of the line, and there was no way for Sarah to see her, she knew that Megan was rolling her eyes at the answer.

"You bloody well are" Megan told her. "Blimey, did you have yourself a good shag last night?" Megan asked, realizing that the only explanation for her friend's whispering was that she wasn't alone.

"I might have" Sarah replied slyly.

"About bloody time, you would have exploded with sexual frustration within a few days" her friend told her knowingly.

"Whatever, but what did you really need my help with, Meg?" Sarah asked.

"Can you please, please come with me to the dress shop today, to give me advice and stop me from murdering my mother-in-law?" Megan asked, sounding desperate for a yes.

"Yeah, no problems. Just don't make me try on any of the dresses. I can plan the wedding, but I do not want to play the bride" Sarah told her seriously. She knew her friend. When Megan found out who it was that she had slept with, which she would find out through nagging Sarah for the details, she would be overjoyed and demand that Sarah tried on wedding dresses. Megan was a wonderful friend, but sometimes she could be a tad bit too forward. It was all done with love though.

"Oh, you're such a bore, but alright I won't force you to try them on. Maybe just one" Megan said slyly.

"None" Sarah demanded.

The line went quiet for a moment or two. "Fine, none" Megan agreed reluctantly.

"When are we heading over there?" Sarah asked, swirling a lock of her curly hair around her finger.

"I'll pick you up in an hour, yeah?" Megan asked.

Sarah quickly assessed the time it would take for her to get dressed, take the tube back home and change. An hour sure as hell wouldn't cut it. "I'll text you the address in a little while, alright" Sarah stated. Through the phone she could hear her friend laughing.

"You do that, you wild little shit" Megan said before hanging up the phone.

Shaking her head at her outspoken friend, Sarah headed back towards the bedroom. Pushing the door open carefully as to not make a sound to wake the man sleeping, she sneaked inside.

"This happens all the time. I shag a bird and the next morning she's already planning the weekend"

Not expecting him to awake she jumped at the sound of his voice. Swirling around she glared at him. "Fucking hell, you scared the shit out of me, Pete!" she exclaimed making him laugh. "And there's no wedding planning going on, at least not a wedding including me as the bride" she told him as she walked over to the bed sitting down on the side of it.

"That's what you're saying now, just you wait" he said with a wink before leaning forward, putting his arms around her waist and pulling her back towards him.

Sarah didn't mind, lying down with her back against his chest. "We'll see about that, Dunham" she said with a smile.

A smirk spread across Pete's lips as he glanced down at the woman in his arms. "You wanna make a bet, love?" he asked.

Sarah turned around raising an eyebrow at him. "A bet, huh?" she asked him, entertained by the idea.

Pete nodded. "I can get you to say yes to marrying me within three months" Pete claimed.

Giving him a disbelieving look, Sarah shook her head. "There is no way I'm saying yes to marriage within three months. Not a fucking chance" she told him.

"I'll take that as a challenge, Lorenz" Pete told her confidently.

"You do that, Dunham" she responded, equally confident. "So what does the winner get?" she questioned.

Pete looked thoughtful for a minute. "I don't know, we'll decide that along the way, yeah?" Pete asked.

Sarah shrugged. "Sure why not" she replied. Sarah laid down, resting her head on his bare chest.

"Who was that on the phone?" he asked.

"It was Meg. Apparently her mother-in-law is a nutter" Sarah explained quoting her friend.

"Which means Megan will fit in perfectly in her new family" Pete commented making Sarah laugh.

Of course she loved her friend dearly, but she agreed with Pete, Megan could be a bit crazy at times. That's one of the things that Sarah appreciated the most with her because Megan could always make her laugh. "Well, yeah" Sarah said in agreement making both of them burst out laughing.

* * *

Sitting on the soft cushion, Sarah sighed. For the last ten minutes Megan and Eleanor had been discussing whether the waist should be defined or not. After listening for a minute or two she had stopped listening allowing herself some time to think things through.

Honestly she had no idea what was going on between her and Pete. Sure, for the two years they'd known each other they had always flirted back and forth. Over time the two of them had become good friends, much like her and Bovver, and he'd always been there when she'd needed him.

Last night and this morning things just felt natural between the two of them, there was no awkwardness, which surprised Sarah. For some reason she had expected it to be. It should have been awkward, shouldn't it?

Before she left his apartment, Pete had asked her to come to the match with him and the boys the next day. Growing up around football, Sarah enjoyed watching it a lot. Would it be weird though? With the other boys. Groaning quietly to herself she imagined the smirk on Bovver's face once he found out. She'd never hear the end of it.

"Sarah, what do you think dear?" the question was directed towards her by Mrs. Hart.

Looking up at her friend and the older woman standing in front of her, she glanced at Megan. Fortunately Mrs. Hart had her back turned towards Megan as her friend started gesturing towards her. Clearly, Megan wanted to have a defined waist line while Mrs. Hart preferred it loose.

Tilting her head slightly to the side, Sarah pretended to think about it. "Honestly, I prefer the wait defined. Especially since Megan actually has a defined waist naturally" Sarah explained siding with her friend, although she actually agreed with her friend for real too. The dress would look amazing on her with that defined waist, creating some curves.

"Oh, alright then" Mrs. Hart said, clearly unpleased with the answer she'd received. "Well, I'll be back in a few moments" she said heading towards the back where the restrooms were located.

Megan and Sarah exchanged looks, but waited for her to disappear into the hallway leading to the restrooms. "Thank you!" Megan whispered, clearly grateful for the support.

"No worries" Sarah said with a smile.

A smirk spread across the full lips of Megan. "So you're gonna tell me about the lad from last night?" she asked raising an eyebrow, her eyes glittering with excitement.

Her friend was such a gossip, Sarah thought to herself, before shrugging her shoulders. "There isn't much to tell" she said teasing her friend.

"Oh stop, it must have been someone from the pub right? 'Cause you were working last night so it couldn't have been a date or something like that, right" Megan reasoned.

Sarah shrugged her shoulders, smiling as she saw the frustration growing in her friend.

"Do I know who he is?" she questioned.

"Maybe" Sarah replied slyly.

"Come on , who the bloody hell is it?" Megan said, racking through her brain of possible sharing mates for Sarah. "Blimey, it's Pete Dunham, isn't it?" she asked her dark eyes growing wide at the realization.

The look on her friend's face made Sarah burst out laughing.

"Bloody hell, so he finally managed to chat you up. He's fit as hell so I don't blame you for shagging him" Megan said loudly.

Sarah shushed her, blue eyes widened by her friend's loud words. "Not so loud, Meg" she told her friend.

Choosing to ignore her friend, who she deemed too prude for her own good, Megan continued her interrogation. "So was he a good shag or not, a good one, wasn't he? That lad knows what he's doing" Megan reasoned.

"He was alright" Sarah said nonchalantly. The two women looked at each other before they both burst out laughing.

"Alright my arse, he probably was bloody brilliant judging by the glow you're surrounded by" Megan stated.

"Stop it. I'm not glowing. There's now glow over here" Sarah laughed before gesturing down at herself.

"The hell there isn't. You're bloody glowing, like a only recently shagged woman can glow" Megan claimed.

"Whatever, if you say so, Meg" Sarah laughed. "Oh by the way, do you have any West Ham stuff I could borrow for the game tomorrow. Pete invited me to go with him and the boys. Like a t-shirt or a cap or anything like that" Sarah asked.

"Taking you the match with the boys, is he? That lad fancies you" Megan commented. "I do have a t-shirt that says 'I Wanna Shag Anton Ferdinand" lying around somewhere. I could rummage through my closet and find it for you. But it might have some blood stains on it" her friend explained.

Giving her friend an odd look, Sarah shook her head. "Thanks, but no thanks"

* * *

Groaning loudly Sarah threw the book she'd been reading across the room, hitting the wall. The sudden sound of the book hitting the wall made the man lying beside her on the sofa watching some sports program, jump slightly. "Bloody hell! What was that for?" he exclaimed, looking at her with a confused look. A small smile spread across his lips as he noticed the small pout upon her face.

"Because the author of the book is a fucking stubborn, dickheaded piece of shit" Sarah exclaimed loudly, throwing her hands up in the air.

When she didn't receive an answer, she glanced to the side and saw Pete with his eyebrows raised and an entertained smirk. "At least someone is entertained by the whole thing" she stated.

Pete let out a low chuckle before encircling her with his arms and pulling her back towards him. Holding her close to him, he nuzzled his head into her thick, curly hair. "What did the wanker do to make you so angry?" Pete asked, wanting to know the history behind the throwing of books.

"Well, to make a long story short. He teaches German, which I speak and write fluently, but he still complains about my pronunciation and grammar. I speak the bloody language fluently, I lived there for five years, but apparently my grammar is not at an acceptable level. What a load of bullshit. Now he's forcing me to read this book that he wrote on the German language. If I do not pass an exam on this book, I won't receive the highest grade. Which I bloody deserve" Sarah ranted angrily.

Pete listened to her carefully, nodding every once in a while. "Want me to beat seven shades of shit out of him?" he asked, seriously.

Knowing that he could very well mean it, Sarah shook her head. "Nah, that's alright. Even though he's an asshole, I don't think he deserves a beating from the notorious Pete Dunham just yet" Sarah commented.

"Just say the word, love" Pete said making the woman in his arms smile.

"I'll remember that" Sarah said before turning around, straddling the man on the couch. Leaning in she kissed him, as his hands travelled up under the white tank top she was currently wearing, stroking her soft skin. Moving on from his mouth, Sarah begun kissing her way down his jaw, down his neck.

Suddenly a loud vibration sounded through out the room, and a few seconds later the tune of 'I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles' came on. Sarah groaned as she pulled back from the kiss.

"Fuck" Pete swore as he reached over Sarah towards the table and grabbed his phone. Flipping it open, he begun talking.

Giving him some space to talk to whoever it was that was calling, Sarah pushed herself off his lap. Walking into the kitchen she opened up the fridge grabbing a cartoon of milk. Pete being slightly taller than her, had placed all the cups on the top shelf, forcing her to stand on the tip of her toe to even have a fair chance of reaching them. "Scheisse" she swore under her breath.

Just as she was about to reach a cup, a hand reached out and grabbed the cup. "I would've reached it" she said with a smile as she slowly turned around and came face to face with Pete.

"Here you go, love" he said handing her the cup.

"Thanks" she said, turning around once again to pour the milk.

Feeling his arms sneak around her waist, she smiled and took a gulp of the milk. "The boys and I are having some drinks down at the Abbey" he told her.

"Give them my love" Sarah told him.

"I will, and by the way just read the book and forget about Professor what's-his-name" Pete told her.

"Grayson. Professor Grayson" Sarah informed him.

"Who?" he asked once again.

"Grayson" she responded.

"Who?" he questioned, swirling her around so that they once more stood face-to-face, mere inches apart. Looking straight into her eyes, he asked her once more. "Who?"

Sarah sighed, and gave him a tired smile. "Okay, okay, I'll read the bloody book" Sarah agreed reluctantly.

"Good. You're gonna' be here when I get back, yeah?" he asked.

Sarah shrugged. "Don't know. Probably not" she told him.

Pete nodded. "I'll just give you a ring later then. Have a good night, love" he said before leaning in and kissing her.

"You too" Sarah said, giving him a small wave before he closed the door behind him.

Leaning back against the counter behind her, she cursed to herself. What the hell was she doing?


	4. Chapter 4

slowly sat up in bed, stretching her arms out above her head. It was sort of a morning ritual for her. Something she always did. Stretching, then going to the bathroom to pee, drink her first cup of coffee, after drinking the coffee she would prepare her breakfast.

Even though she had ended up sleeping away from home a second night in a row, she still kept to her routine.

Glancing down at the man lying beside her, the sheet barely covering his hip bones, she realized that he was barely awake. Leaning down she placed a kiss on his cheek. "I'm making French toast for breakfast" she whispered in his ear.

A low chuckle escaped from Pete, making his chest rise up and down. "That's alright. The fire alarm will wake me up" he stated, referring to the fact that the woman beside him was notoriously known for not being able to cook.

"Shut up or you're not getting any" Sarah told him, slapping his arm before pushing herself off the bed.

Wrapping a white sheet around her body, she headed to the bathroom. A few minutes later she was in the kitchen drinking her first cup of coffee.

Opening the window by the stove, she grabbed the pack of cigarettes lying on the dining table. Lightening one and taking a drag of it, she sighed. This felt so normal at the same time as it felt so abnormal. Maybe she just follow her friend's advice; just enjoy herself for now, and deal with the seriousness later on. There was no need to make it more complicated than it already was.

When she'd finished her cigarette, she begun cooking breakfast.

About ten minutes later, a small smile spread across her lips as she heard footsteps coming towards her from the bedroom. Feeling his hand sweeping away her curly hair, placing all of it on the other side of her neck.

Leaning in Pete placed soft kisses on her shoulder blade, kissing his way up her back to her shoulder to her neck. Moaning with satisfaction, Sarah enjoyed the feelings of his lips against her bare skin.

"I thought we could have a different kind of breakfast" Pete suggested as he slowly turned her around, kissing her collarbone.

"You did, did you?" Sarah asked with a smirk.

Feeling his hands travel down her back down to her bottom, she suddenly was hoisted up onto the counter.

"I think I'll prefer this one" she said with a laugh.

* * *

Sarah once again found herself working behind the bar during a match day. The difference was this time she would actually have the chance to sneak away before all the heavy cleaning started because she would be going to the match with the boys. Something she actually looked forward to. Even though she'd known most of them for over two years now, she'd never been to a game with them. Mostly because of the fact that she usually worked the entire day when there was a match since Terry went to them.

Snapped out of her thoughts by the sound of the door opening she looked up and saw Pete walk in. Behind him followed a shorter guy, who Sarah didn't recognize. Not having the slightest clue who the other man was, Sarah smiled at the blonde as he walked over to her. "Hello, love" he said.

Sarah gave him a questioning look before glancing towards the man practically hiding behind Pete. "Sarah, this is Shannon's brother Matt" Pete introduced, stepping to the side so that Matt was revealed to Sarah.

"Matt, this is Sarah, our favorite little bird" Pete introduced her.

Faking a smile, Sarah thought about the fact that he had introduced her as theirs, not his, theirs. Obviously she hadn't expected him to stand on the bar and profess that they'd slept together at the top of his lungs, but she actually thought she'd deserved something more than that.

"Hey Matt, nice to meet you" Sarah said politely.

"The same" Matt said, clearly nervous about the new environment that he was in at the moment.

"Your boys are over in the corner" Sarah told Pete before turning around and walking off.

A frown appeared on Pete's face at her behavior, but he decided to ignore it for the time being. He'd deal with her later. "Aye, aye" Pete greeted his group of friends as they reached the corner table. The boys all greeted him, and he shook their hands, greeted them back.

Then he turned towards the shorter man standing slightly behind him. "Alright boys, this is Matt, Shannon's brother" he explained, and started introducing his group of friends to the American.

"I'll get the drinks in then" Ike said as he was still standing from welcoming Pete and Matt.

"Does that mean I'm getting the drinks in?" Dave questioned looking up at his friend.

"Every fucking time" Swill commented from the side, with Dave echoing him seconds later.

Sarah could hear the conversation from her location at the bar and couldn't help but smile at the boys. Before Ike had reached the bar, the two first glasses of beer were already standing there waiting for him as Sarah continued filling up glasses with beer.

"You know us well, lovey" Ike said with a huge grin.

"That I do" Sarah replied with an equally huge smile.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw Bovver walk up to the table, watched as Pete greeted his old friend. She also saw Bovver completely ignoring Matt's gesture of friendliness. "Bastard" she said to herself.

"What?" Ike asked, looking confused at the insult, which he thought was directed towards him.

"Not you, Ike, sorry" she said with an apologizing smile.

Ike nodded grabbing the beers that he could. "Someone will come for the rest, lovey" he told her.

Sarah simply nodded. Probably would be Matt the poor thing, he'd be the easiest to convince. Just like she suspected Matt came walking up to the bar just a few moments later. "I'm guessing you're here for the beer" Sarah said with a kind smile.

Matt nodded. "Yeah, and some salted peanuts" he added.

"Let me guess, they're for Dave?" she asked knowing that she was correct. None of the other boys loved peanuts as Dave did.

"They are" Matt confirmed.

"Here you go, Matt" she said pushing the beers towards him and handing him a bag of salted peanuts.

"Thanks!" he called out before heading back to the table.

As he sat down she saw Bovver rise from his seat and walk over to sit down at the bar, looking sullen. Sarah served a few customers before walking over to him. "Why do you have a constipated look on your face, Bov?" she asked him leaning on the bar.

"What the fuck is he thinking bringing with some bloody yank? We're not fucking babysitters" Bov complained.

Sarah chuckled making Bovver lift his gaze from the beer in front of him. "What the fuck is so funny?" he asked her sourly.

"Well, I'm sure you'll be overjoyed about the fact that I'm coming to the match as well. Even more babysitting" she joked with him.

A look of surprise appeared on his face. "Thought you'd be working" Bovver commented.

Sarah shock her head. "Nah, Terry gave me the afternoon and evening off" Sarah explained. "You know you could be a little friendlier to Matt. Seems nice enough to me" she added.

Bovver gave her a look. The look that told her that he didn't wanted to talk about it. Well, too bad.

"You were plain rude to him, Bov" she told him disapprovingly.

"I wasn't rude. I was-" Bovver tried to defend himself.

"Obnoxious. Dismissive" Sarah suggested, receiving another look.

"He's a yank" Bovver told her, like it would explain his behavior.

"And I'm a Swede" Sarah noted.

"Alright, I get your point" Bovver agreed reluctantly.

"Good, that's all I'm asking for" she said with a grin.

* * *

Sarah leaned against the brick wall, smoking a cigarette as she awaited the boys. She had finished her shift five minutes ago and needed some air.

They would be out any minute now, she could hear the sound of movements from inside. As they begun exiting the pub she kept her eyes on the door to make sure that she didn't miss the boys. Pete and Matt were among the first of the group to walk out.

Pushing herself off the wall she walked over to them. "Hey, Pete, I'm gonna head home. I'm not feeling so hot. Jet lag" Matt said, but the nervous tone in his voice gave him away. He was nervous; either about the game or about Bovver. Sarah knew very well that Bovver had had a conversation with him in the restroom. She considered it part of her job to keep an eye on situations that could get out of hand. That was one of them.

Apparently Pete wouldn't take no for an answer. "Fuck off. You're not missing the game. You wanted to learn about " Pete said, swinging his arm around Matt's shoulder as we begun walking.

After a few moments he removed his arm from Matt's shoulders, placing his other arm around Sarah's shoulders instead. Pulling her close to him, he leaned down and whispered in her ear. "I'm really glad you coming with today, love"

Sarah smiled up at him. "Me too" she said with a smile as she leaned into him.

The men walking together all begun singing. "_I'm forever blowing bubbles. Pretty bubbles in the air_"

Sarah sung along quietly, knowing the song by heart. Hearing it during every shift she worked at the pub meant that she'd learned it by heart within a week and a half.

Sarah smiled to herself contently as she realized how blessed she was to have these people around her, to feel this happiness, to be part of a family outside of her biological one.

* * *

Exiting the arena, Sarah felt the adrenaline kick she would only get from watching really well played football, flow through her body. It was a good feeling to say the least.

She felt Pete's hand on her lower back as he guided her through the crowd over to where Bovver was waiting. As they came close enough the boys complimented Bovver for his performance.

"There he is. Oi, Bov. Fucking quality, son" Dave told him.

"Stuff of legends" Pete commented as he walked forward and embraced his old friend.

Much like Matt, Sarah decided to remain in the background. What happened after the matches was not something she felt the need to be apart of, not in the slightest. If they were looking forward to going out and pummeling some rival firm members, they could go right ahead, but at the moment the only thing she was looking forward to was a hot drink, most likely hot chocolate with whipped cream and marshmallows. Yeah, that would be perfect right about now.

"It ain't over yet. Word is these tats are gonna have a pop" Dave said as he rubbed his hands.

"What you heard?" Pete asked, clearly interested.

"The usual. Fucking Zulus. They're mobbing up on the tube right now. It's gonna kick off near East Ham" Dave explained.

"Time to go then, boys" Ike declared.

"What are we standing here for?" Swill wondered.

"Maybe I should head home" Matt suggested.

"Yeah, you know where you're going?" Pete questioned.

"No worries, I'll walk with him, show him in the way" Sarah told the blonde, who immediately shifted his gaze from Matt to her.

"Keep your head down, alright? Birmingham lot will be on the tube" he told her.

Sarah nodded. "I know the drill, we'll manage" she told him.

"Don't get on at East Ham. Any trouble, just walk the other way" he preached to her.

Sarah nodded looking him dead in the eye. "Don't worry, Pete" she told him. "It's me who should be worrying about you" she told him seriously. "About all of you" she said, directing it towards the rest of the boys as well.

"I'll see you later, yeah?" Pete said. After Sarah gave her answer by nodding, Pete took a step forward and placed a kiss on her head. "Look after him, alright" he said before turning around and walking away with the rest of the boys.

Sarah turned to Matt with a smile. "Just me and you then. Let's go" she said and the two of them begun walking down the street.

"I gotta' ask, where are you from? You're not from here, are you? 'Cause you don't have that accent" Matt asked.

"No I don't" Sarah said with a smile, knowing that even after two years of living in London, she had more of an American accent than a British one. "I'm from Sweden. I moved here little more than two years ago" she explained.

As the two continued walking down the roads of London they talked about all different kind of things. "So were you nervous about going to the match today?" Sarah asked, what she deemed to be her most recent friend.

Matt looked a bit embarrassed. "It's nothing to be ashamed of, Matt, not at all. I know how it feels" Sarah told him sincerely.

"Really? You seem so secure with all of it" Matt stated.

Sarah laughed at the statement. "Fake it till you make it" she advised him.

Suddenly a glass bottle soared past her head, merely a few inches away from hitting her. Looking over her shoulder, her eyes widened. "Run, Matt!" she told him and took off spiriting herself.

"Get 'em!" she heard the men chasing them shout.

Suddenly Matt was tackled into the brick wall. As three of the men gathered around men, one locked his arms around Sarah holding her tight to his body as she struggled to get free.

"Look, I don't want any trouble!" Matt exclaimed.

"A fucking Yank" one of the men commented. "Why's a Yank running with the GSE?" the same man questioned.

Sarah managed to keep a straight face, not alluring to the fact that she knew exactly what the GSE meant. She kept struggling against her capturer though. "Let him go, he hasn't done nothing to you, you fucking wankers" Sarah said, her voice filled with anger.

The man holding her slammed her up against the brick wall next to Matt, making her hit her head on the same time. "Fucking cunts" she swore.

The man turned her around then backhanded her. Sarah's head slammed into the brick wall once again. She could feel the trickle of blood down her cheek.

"We're just tourists!" Matt exclaimed, like that would be in their favor at the moment.

"How about we leave you with a proper souvenir? Ever heard of a Chelsea grin, huh?" the man standing in front of Matt questioned.

Sarah grimaced at the thought, receiving a Chelsea grin would be extremely painful.

"Come on, please!" Matt begged them.

"Do you take American express?" the man asked gleefully before taking a step back. "I bet the Major gave out his share of Chelsea grins, back when the GSE weren't so sloppy to leave leave two of their own behind" the man said.

At that precise moment Pete and some of the other boys appeared. "We don't leave our mates behind" Pete stated before head-butting the man.

Sarah felt her capturer being ripped away from her by Ike. "Over to Pete" he ordered and Sarah, for once, obeyed.

As she reached the brick wall where Pete and Matt stood, Pete was looking for injuries on Matt. Then he turned to her. The second he laid his eyes on her, he swore loudly. "Fucking hell" he said as he inspected her injuries closer. "I'll kill these bastards. I'm so sorry, love" he said, lowering his voice so that only the three of them could hear what was being said.

"It's not your fault, Pete" she said quietly.

"Look, he's getting away! Let's go!" Dave yelled, and suddenly everyone was running after the short man, who'd punched Dave and then taken off.

As they reached the street, they realized that he'd disappeared. Some of the boys swore over his sudden disappearance while Dave leaned over, his hands on his knees. "I'm getting too old for this shit. Seriously, I could use a beer and lie-down" Dave said.

At that moment Ike came driving around the corner, beeping at them. Sarah gratefully headed towards the van, longing to getting some warm liquid in her.

As they begun driving away, the little man appeared once more and threw something at the window, cracking it. The boys all piled out of the van once more screaming about how they were going to get him.

Sarah followed, for the sole reason of not wanting to be alone in the van if someone showed up wanting to pick a fight.

As they rounded the corner they saw a huge group of men standing down the tunnel, all of the chanting the same word. Zulu. "Shit" Sarah swore under her breath, subconsciously taking a step back.

"Well, come on then! What you fucking standing there for, your cunts?" Swill shouted as he held out his arms, provoking them.

"Let's get out of here. They're twenty guys" Matt suggested.

A plan that Sarah would gladly agree to, although she doubted that any of the others would.

"You don't run when you're with us. You stand your ground and fight" Pete said determinedly.

"I don't know how" Matt admitted.

"Just think of someone you hate" Pete told him before looking over his shoulder at Sarah, who stood at the back. "Stay back, stay out of the way" he told her.

Sarah nodded, taking another step back. Then it all happened. The men charged at each other and the fight was on.

Suddenly a man appeared in front of her taking a swing at her. Grateful for her quick reflexes, she bent down avoiding the punch. Instead of backing away she punched him in the stomach making him double over. Even if she had backed down, he would have continued going after her. Might as well inflict the small injury she could on him.

As he bent over she saw her chance and brought her knee up, connecting it to his face. With a loud shout he fell down on the ground landing on his back, hitting his head on the ground in the process, which knocked him out completely.

Looking into the tunnel she noticed that Pete had three guys on him, punching and kicking him at the same time. Acting on instinct she ran over, throwing herself at one of the attackers, tackling him to the ground.

The moment that they landed on the ground; her managing to land on top of him, screams could be heard from behind her. Glancing over her shoulder she saw the remaining GSE storming down the tunnel.

Letting out a breath of relief, she punched the guy lying beneath her before standing up just in time to watch Pete knock a guy out. Bovver stood in the middle of the tunnel screaming at the Birmingham fans to get back.

Sarah sighed heavily as she began walking back towards the van. As she walked past him, Pete reached out and grabbed her arm. Letting his eye scan over her body once more to look for further injuries.

"I'm alright, Pete" she told him.

Not taking her word, Pete continued to look for injuries. When he couldn't find any he let her go and walked over and embraced Bovver.

Sarah wrapped her arms around herself, by now she was freezing her ass off. Walking over to Bovver, who was standing alone and smoking, she grabbed the cigarette out of his hand and took a drag.

Bovver glanced up at her, his eyes widening slightly. "Fuck happened to you?" he asked.

"Some slamming into brick walls, some backhanding" Sarah replied.

Bovver shook his head. "You are never going with us to a match again" he told her, his over-protective nature kicking in.

It was a natural reaction he had when it came to Sarah; he'd become extremely protective of her in situations like these.

The other boys were talking about Matt's fighting abilities, and Bovver was getting frustrated, Sarah could see it in clearly on his face. "Come on, you all want to get pinched?" he questioned.

The others agreed with him, and the group made their way out of there.


End file.
